Had a guy recommend that now till the end of May is still a good time for this, but everything I read says wait till Sept. Will it still work right now?
Depends on what chemical you are spraying. But as a general rule waiting till trees are beginning to transfer energy back to roots is will have a much better result in killing tree. If you can not stand to wait till then--at least wait until late spring (Early June) until the big flush is over.
But at least do something is better than doing nothing at all.
Please go to TN wildlife habitat to see more information.